Investigating the social cognition phenotypes in children, adolescents, and adults with epilepsy

In recent years, clinical and neuropsychological assessment of patients with epilepsy has dedicated increasing attention to social cognition (SC), which is relevant to interpersonal relations, psychological well-being, and autonomy. The components of SC are supported by distinct but interlinked brain regions that may be affected by focal and generalized epilepsy. This special issue sought to describe some of the societal, clinical, and pathophysiological correlates of SC in patients with epilepsy and healthy subjects, highlighting some of the questions key to clinical care and research. This article is part of the Special Issue "Epilepsy and social cognition across the lifespan" •Social cognition constructs mental representations of interpersonal relationships.•Children and adults with epilepsy have impaired social cognition.•Main impairments involve facial emotion perception and theory of mind.•Social cognition is affected across the lifespan in epilepsy subtypes.